In advance of his participation in the American Century Championship 25th Anniversary celebrity golf event on July18-20, Charles Barkley fielded questions beyond his golfing foibles, including his NBA Finals pick. Q. I know you picked the Heat in 7 on TNT's postgame on Saturday night. You lean towards the Heat slightly why? A. "I'm concerned about Tony Parker. I'm concerned. First of all, I think it's tough to beat -- LeBron, you've got to beat that guy four times, man. I just think that's tough to do. "I mean, I just think he's amazing to watch. I told somebody, I've been in the NBA for 30 years. We never had a superstar that leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and he has to guard the best player on the other team. I mean, as great as Michael Jordan was, I'm not comparing Michael Jordan, as great as Kobe was, look at all the NBA stars, we never had to have one guy do so much for a team. Beautiful to watch.

With all due respect to ABC's Jeff Van Gundy, arguably the most entertaining, informative NBA color analyst on television, the Finals just aren't the same without TNT's Marv Albert and the inimitable Charles Barkley. Thankfully, Barkley made his first appearance of the Finals during NBA TV's Gametime pregame show with fellow TNT studio partner Shaquille O'Neal. Barkley avoided the first two games along San Antonio's River Walk partly because of his ongoing feud with Spurs fans since his on-air shots at the, "big 'ol women down there.

TNT analyst Charles Barkley continues to makes more Miami Heat enemies. After the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, Barkley said on the post-game broadcast that they weren't the team to beat in the NBA Finals. Barkley claimed the Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks, would prevail. "This Mavs team is going to beat the Heat," Barkley said. Barkley, who was booed by Miami fans while broadcasting Games 3 and 4 at AmericanAirlines Arena, has been one of the Heat's most vocal critics this season.

In advance of his participation in the American Century Championship 25th Anniversary celebrity golf event on July18-20, Charles Barkley fielded questions beyond his golfing foibles, including his NBA Finals pick. Q. I know you picked the Heat in 7 on TNT's postgame on Saturday night. You lean towards the Heat slightly why? A. "I'm concerned about Tony Parker. I'm concerned. First of all, I think it's tough to beat -- LeBron, you've got to beat that guy four times, man. I just think that's tough to do. "I mean, I just think he's amazing to watch. I told somebody, I've been in the NBA for 30 years. We never had a superstar that leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and he has to guard the best player on the other team. I mean, as great as Michael Jordan was, I'm not comparing Michael Jordan, as great as Kobe was, look at all the NBA stars, we never had to have one guy do so much for a team. Beautiful to watch.

Charles Barkley is doing more than just talking about the NBA lockout. He's giving up paychecks. According to ESPNChicago.com , Barkley said he feels uncomfortable taking a paycheck during the NBA lockout and plans to defer or donate his TNT salary while the NBA lockout continues. “I haven't told anybody, but I'm actually - believe it or not - I'm leaning toward donating it to charity,” Barkley said. “I don't think it's cool for me to take money I haven't earned.

Charles Barkley, who spent much of last season telling the Miami Heat what they weren't, will be able to tell it to their faces Thursday. TNT announced Tuesday that Barkley will be courtside as an analyst Thursday for the network's broadcast in Atlanta against the Hawks. Barkley, a mainstay in the TNT studio, which is located adjacent to Philips Arena, will work courtside alongside play-by-play man Kevin Harlan and analyst Reggie Miller. Chris Webber will step in for Barkley in TNT's studio.

TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley was the target of the Miami Heat fans' scorn Sunday night following the Heat's 96-85 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Barkley, who has been critical of LeBron James and the Heat's Big 3 of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, had towels thrown at his direction on multiple occasions during the TNT postgame show. When one of the towels came close to hitting Barkley in the back, he turned and said, "Don't make me come over there, now. Because if I come over there, there's going to be hell to pay. " "I'll come with you, Chuck," TNT cohort Kenny Smith chimed in. At one point, the throng outside AmericanAirlines Arena serenaded the former 76ers and Suns star with a chant of "No Rings!"

Forget "Big Three" when it comes to describing the Miami Heat. Charles Barkley seemingly prefers to go with "whiny bunch. " In Chicago for TNT's coverage of the Eastern Conference finals series between the Heat and Chicago Bulls that resumes with Wednesday's Game 2 at the United Center, Barkley offered his thoughts on the Heat during an appearance Tuesday on the local ESPN Radio affiliate. "Those guys are actually a whiny bunch," Barkley said. Barkley said his view is the Heat have proven to be a thin-skinned group.

Included in TNT's Thursday coverage of Heat-Trail Blazers was a spirited debate of who could possibly beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And, no, not nearly as many are continuing to talk about the Knicks, not with their injuries and growing maturity issues about Carmelo Anthony. But the Pacers did beat the Heat earlier this week. And that came after the Bulls won last week at AmericanAirlines Arena. And that at least opened the door for conjecture. Asked about the Heat's prime challengers, Charles Barkley cited the aforementioned duo. "Indiana and Chicago," he said, "because they have an inside game with a bunch of perimeter players.

For a second consecutive week they were at it again, Chuck, Kenny, Shaq and Ernie digging into the Miami Heat, this time with Charles Barkley reducing the Heat to one-man show. A sampling of what was said late Thursday night for those who didn't get the chance to stay up: Barkley, on the Heat: "I don't think anyone on the Heat is having a good year except LeBron James. LeBron covers up a lot of their flaws. " More Barkley, on the singular dominance of James: "LeBron James covers up a lot of flaws in this Miami team.

As the Miami Heat return home tonight to take on the Indiana Pacers before a raucous sellout crowd dressed in white, we are again left pondering the taunting comments by analyst and professional attention-seeker Charles Barkley of TNT. Heat fans, judging by the online screaming on the Sun Sentinel website, are quite upset with Sir Charles for making unflattering remarks about us. In particular, they're lathered up that Barkley said, "Those fans...

1. Is Cleveland a landing spot for LeBron? I'd be stunned if it happens next year the way things look now. LeBron is about championships. Is Cleveland championship-ready next season? In the midst of LeBron chasing a third-straight title in Miami, Cleveland wormed its way into the conversation thanks to getting the No. 1 draft pick for the second straight year. And Charles Barkley voiced the thought out there. "I've always thought he was going to go back to Cleveland," Barkley said in an interview on ESPN radio's SVP & Russillo.

In the wake of the Cleveland Cavaliers yet again winning the NBA Draft lottery, the piling on has begun when it comes to speculation regarding Miami Heat forward LeBron James, who can become a free agent in the offseason. That brought TNT analyst Charles Barkley up to bat during ESPN Radio's SVP & Russillo show Wednesday. "I've always thought he was going to go back to Cleveland," Barkley said. "Nobody dislikes LeBron. I think LeBron made a huge mistake with that 'Decision' crap.

For weeks now, the TNT studio team has questioned this season's Miami Heat in comparison to the Heat team that won titles the past two seasons. After the Heat advanced to a fourth consecutive Eastern Conference finals, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were at it again. Barkley on the pressure on LeBron James and the Miami Heat: "I don't think they're the favorite. They're playing against the best teams now. LeBron has to play at such a high level. Michael Jordan is the best I've ever seen, but in my 30 years with the NBA I've never seen a star have to do as much as LeBron James.

So much for taking it slow. Heat superstar LeBron James, who suffered a deep thigh bruise in the third quarter of Monday's closeout victory over the Bobcats, participated fully in the team's first contact practice of the week that he compared to "The Hunger Games" for its ferocious nature. "It's better today. I went through every drill, every contact drill, so that's a plus," James said. "I'm very antsy. It was great to have what we call a 'Hunger Games' practice. We went at it. We had a warmup for about 10 minutes.

The impression President Barack Obama made on LeBron James during the Heat's White House NBA championship commemoration last month apparently was mutual. During his sitdown interview with TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley that will air during the network's pregame coverage of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at 7 p.m., Obama discussed the Heat forward in relation to one of his Chicago sporting icons: "You know LeBron. I know LeBron. When you are standing next to him, and then you watch him close up, I've never seen somebody that size, that fast, who can jump that high, who is that strong, who has that much basketball savvy all in one package.

As the Miami Heat return home tonight to take on the Indiana Pacers before a raucous sellout crowd dressed in white, we are again left pondering the taunting comments by analyst and professional attention-seeker Charles Barkley of TNT. Heat fans, judging by the online screaming on the Sun Sentinel website, are quite upset with Sir Charles for making unflattering remarks about us. In particular, they're lathered up that Barkley said, "Those fans...

The TNT crew of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson as well as NBA TV analyst Steve Smith chimed in Thursday on matters Heat and Heat related. A few of the topics and a few of their thoughts: Miami vs. Oklahoma City Rematch Barkley, on the Finals rematch between Miami and Oklahoma City (next Thursday on TNT): "It's very important from a psychological standpoint. [The Thunder] need to beat them at some point. " Barkley, on Heat vs. Thunder: "LeBron James can't stop Kevin Durant, but he can slow him down.

TNT's always-entertaining NBA studio team held their always-entertaining pre-All-Star conference call Thursday. It included disagreement between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal regarding the Heat's playoff prospects. "Indiana is the best team in the NBA," Barkley said. "If they can get a healthy and have a motivated Andrew Bynum, they are going to be very difficult to beat. The wear and tear is starting to take a toll on the Miami Heat and Dwyane [Wade] and LeBron [James]. But it's still going to be tough to beat LeBron four times in a week.

1. It tells you where opinions are moving when Charles Barkley and I agree on several fundamentals of the Jonathan Martin saga: “The Jonathan Martin thing is one of the more fascinating things I've seen in my entire life, to be honest with you," Barkley said on Dan Patrick's radio show. “I don't understand if incognito was treating this kid bad why he texted him 1,500 times. I don't understand everybody on the team said they're friends. I don't believe the general manager told one player to punch another player.